232 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ September 9, isso, 
used in a rough state, and mixed with equal quantities of sphagnum 
moss. The surface should be entirely covered with moss, the 
green ends being preserved for this purpose ; it will soon grow 
rapidly if watered as directed. The best time to repot these 
Orchids is when the young roots have commenced growing from 
the base of the young growths, they soon establish themselves in 
the fresh compost. I am in favour of small shifts, for the plants 
do better when the roots reach the sides of the pots, and take 
water more freely than when large pots in proportion to the 
plants are used. ' There is but little fear of water stagnating 
about the roots of the plants if the drainage is perfect. The 
compost frequently becomes sour when inferior peat is used, and 
it is better to dispense with peat altogether if bad, for the plants 
succeed much better in crocks with a portion of sphagnum on the 
surface. Often good results are obtained by employing crocks, 
especially with plants that have become unhealthy and lost many 
roots. After considerable experience with imported Orchids, I 
find they always establish themselves better in crocks than in 
peat. Some kinds succeed best when suspended in baskets from 
the roof, especially such dwarf growers as Odontoglossum Cervan- 
tesii, 0. Rossii, O. Ehrenbergii, Epidendrum vitellinum majus, and 
others of a similar habit. Other dwarf species do well on blocks 
with sphagnum, but I avoid blocks as much as possible, because 
they require more attention in watering during summer. 
It is sometimes difficult to bring imported Orchids at first to 
this system of cultivation, because the great heat of the voyage 
often stimulates an untimely growth, which cannot be severely 
checked without injuring the plant. It must, however, be 
gradually adopted, and not till it is done shall we see some of 
the short, stiff, leathery growth, and rich purple-tinted stems we 
find in the imported specimens. We appear to aim at size, but it 
is not the standard of excellence in Orchids. 
The following is a list of the cool house Orchids cultivated at 
Lee Hall:— 
Anguloa Clowesii 
Oncidium crispum 
Ruckerii 
crispum grandiflornm 
Ada aurantiaca 
preetextum 
Coelogyne cristata 
cucullatum 
corymbosa 
cucullatum major 
barbata 
serratum 
corrugata 
nubigenum 
speciosa 
flexuosum 
Epidendrum vitellinum 
anriferum 
vitellinum major 
spilopterum 
syringothyrsus 
Rogersii 
Odontoglossum Alexandra} 
varicosum 
blandum 
pelecanum 
cirrhosum 
cheirophorum 
Cervantesii 
tigrinum 
Cervantesii decorum 
pubes 
coronarium 
ornitborhynchum 
cordatum 
Lcelia majalis 
Dawsonianum 
autumnalis 
Ehrenbergi 
albida 
Egertoni 
anceps 
grande 
Lep totes bicolor 
gloriosum 
Lycaste Skiuneri 
Hallii 
cruenta 
Insleayi 
Mesospiuidium sanguineum 
Insleayi leopardinum 
Sophronites cernua 
Lindeni 
grandiflora 
Lindleyanum 
Jlasdevallia amabilis 
maculatum superbum 
ignea 
madrense 
ignea splendens 
maxillare 
ignea violacea 
nebulosum 
coccinea 
nebulosum candidulum 
Lindeni 
pardinum 
Yeitchii 
puichellum 
Davisii 
roseum 
sanguinea 
stcllatum 
sanguinea superba 
Wallisii 
Harryana 
sceptrum 
Harryana splendens 
odoratum 
trockilus 
Rossii major 
caudata 
luteo-purpuratum 
chimfera 
nasvium major 
melanopus 
Andersonianum 
Restrepia antennifera 
triumpbans 
Disa grandiflora 
Pescatorei 
Cypripedium insigne 
membranaceum 
insigne Maulei 
Oncidium macrantkum 
macranthum hastiferum 
Renantbera coccinea 
—John Glover, Lee Ilall. 
Greening Seed Potatoes. —Greening seed Potatoes is an 
old practice, but a very good 
one. It consists of placing the 
tubers in the sun for a time 
after they have been taken from 
the ground until they are quite green. They become green 
equally well in a shady place, and this, I think, is the best, as 
I have lately seen some tubers which were so much exposed to 
the sun that they were quite shrivelled. Potatoes keep better 
during the winter in a green state, and they are much hardier for 
seed than those that have not been so prepared.—A Kitchen 
Gardener. 
ATHERSTONE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
This Society held its first Exhibition on the 1st inst. in Mere- 
vale Park, the seat of W. S. Dugdale, Esq., the President of the 
Society, who kindly placed his grand park, which is second to 
none in the midland counties, at the disposal of the Committee. The 
Committee and their Hon. Secretary, Mr. Alfred Sale, worked to¬ 
gether with a will, and the result was that a fine collection of plants, 
flowers, fruit, and vegetables was brought together. There were 
over a thousand entries, and the Judges had a hard day’s work, espe¬ 
cially as the competition in some classes was remarkably keen. 
In the first class for the best collection of plants arranged for effect 
there were six entries, the space allotted to each competitor being 
18 feet by 12 feet, arranged crescent-shaped against the side of the 
tent. Here the Judges had a difficult task to decide the first prize, 
and ultimately the collections shown by W. S. Dugdale, Esq., of 
Merevale Hall (Mr. W. Brown, gardener), and Mr. J. Parker of the 
Victoria Nurseries, Rugby, were declared equal, and the first and 
second prizes were divided between them. The third prize was 
awarded to Mr. E. Holmes, nurseryman, Lichfield, and the fine col¬ 
lections of Mr. A. Waters of Coventry and Messrs. R. & F. Allum 
of Tamworth were highly commended. The collection by Mr. G. J. 
Sale was also commended, but the deficiency of colour precluded it 
from taking a prize, although it included several high-class specimens. 
In the classes for plants in pots there were some excellent exhibits, 
and the competition was again very keen, Mr. A. Waters of Coventry 
carrying off no less than seven first and four second prizes. In the 
classes for cut flowers Mr. Kimberley of Stoke Nurseries, Coventry, 
was eminently successful, and succeeded in taking six first prizes, 
four seconds, and one third. The classes for fruit were also well 
filled, Mr. Hanson Sale carrying off both first prizes for black and 
white Grapes ; Mr. Forsey, gardener to Sir George Chetwynd, Bart., 
taking both seconds in the same classes. 
The roots and vegetables were also far above the average. The 
cottagers’ classes were on the whole well filled, and the exhibits 
wonderfully good. There was also an exhibition of butter and eggs, 
which was one of the great features of the Show, Mr. Choyce of 
Pinwall taking the first prize for butter, and the Marchioness of 
Hastings the first prize for eggs. 
It is seldom that a Society meets with such a marked success on a 
first attempt, and the Committee may be congratulated upon having 
brought together such well-known nurserymen and florists as Messrs. 
Parker and Bryant of Rugby, Messrs, Waters and Kimberley of 
Coventry, Mr. Holmes of Lichfield, and Messrs. Allum of Tamworth. 
—( Communicated .) 
CARTERS’ LEVIATHAN BEAN. 
I send you specimens of this fine long-podded Broad Beau 
grown by me. One peculiar feature in this Bean, which I have 
not seen remarked upon by anyone is, that when the crop vras 
fit for gathering, two, three, and in some instances four growths 
issued from the bottom of the stems, and are now T producing a 
second crop, from which I am gathering. The ripe pod I send 
you is from the first crop, and the green one from the second. 
I consider this Bean the heaviest cropper I have ever grown, and 
the flavour equal to any other variety. I have had numerous 
pods this season between 14 and 1G inches in length, containing 
seven beans in a pod.— Thomas Jelfs, Ilungerford. 
[The dried pod is 13 inches long, and contains eight beans quite 
hard and ready for sowing. The green pod is nearly 10 inches 
long, and contains seven very large beans in good condition for 
cooking.— Eds.] 
RED SPIDER IN VINERIES. 
“ Mid-Surkey's ” letter on this subject in your last issue was 
to my mind a slight misnomer, for in the case adduced the insects 
do not appear to be in the vinery at all, but outside it. I will 
refer to an instance of red spider on the Vines in a house, and 
how in a very simple manner I got rid of thousands of insects. 
Like your correspondent I reside in a “red spider district,” for I 
am in the same county. Kidney Beans, Vines on walls, and even 
on some forest trees, are being devoured with this insect, that 
infests them by millions. 
In the vinery in question the young laterals with small leaves 
from 1 to 3 inches in diameter were rather seriously attacked, but 
the older leaves on close examination did not appear to be touched. 
I therefore carefully cut out those infested laterals, which were 
not numerous, and did not let them fall to the ground, but placed 
them in a pail of water as they were cut and carried them out of 
the house. I then, towards evening, gave the Vines a heavy 
washing, directing the syringe carefully between the bunches, and 
applying the water with great force. The house was thoroughly 
drenched, and although the water fell on the bunches it did not 
